Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of transport and conveying technology. It relates to a system for transferring individual piece-good units to and/or from conveying units of a rail-guided suspended conveyor system. It further relates to a conveying unit for a suspended conveyor system and a method for transferring individual piece-good units to and/or from conveying units of a suspended conveyor system.
Discussion of Related Art
In the case of automated warehouses, large production facilities and generally in the conveyance and the transport of individual items, rail-guided suspended conveyor systems have proved to be an efficient means for the transport, intermediate buffering but also long-term storage of different types of individual items. In suspended conveyor systems the individual items are either directly suspended in an appropriate manner on individual conveying units of a conveyor system or introduced into corresponding receiving devices which in turn are mounted so as to be suspended on the conveying units.
In this context, generally individually transportable units are understood as individual items, such as for example workpieces, semi-finished products and manufactured products in production processes, spare parts, consumer goods, batches of stackable goods, for example batches of printed products, but also receptacles and transport carriers for goods, such as for example boxes, containers, items of luggage, drums, packets, pallets, etc.
Rail-guided suspended conveyor systems may be implemented as chain conveyor systems, in which a plurality of conveying units which form the links of a chain are moved along a conveying path.
Rail-guided suspended conveyor systems with individually conveyable transport units are also known. Thus for example WO 2016/030275 A1, also published as US 2018/215547 A1, discloses a gravity-fed conveyor system in which individual conveying units provided with wheels move on corresponding running rails. Diverter systems permit a targeted distribution of individual conveying units, which may be designed for example as carriages, on various conveying paths and/or permit the conveying units to be combined on a common conveying path. Accumulation sections permit the buffering or storage of a plurality of carriages with minimal spacing. Separating systems in turn permit the targeted release of accumulated conveying units. The conveying units may be conveyed in an energy-efficient manner by means of gravity, on downwardly inclined conveying sections. On horizontal and upwardly inclined conveying sections, the conveying units may be reversibly coupled to drive devices such as for example chain drives or worm drives in order to overcome height differences or to achieve a conveyance in a specific region of the conveying path at timed intervals.
Suspended conveyor systems permit the mounting of a large proportion of the conveyor system overhead on the ceiling, so that the floor area remains free for production facilities and other devices. For the storage, the removal from storage or the processing of items, however, the conveying path has to be moved to a lower level and/or guided upwardly again, which due to the restricted gradient angle of rail-guided suspended conveyor systems requires a significant amount of floor area and spatial volume which could be used in other ways.
Suspended conveyor systems with transport units are particularly suitable for the efficient conveyance of homogenous individual items. Thus, for example, in logistics centers of mail-order companies, such suspended conveyor systems may be used in order to store a plurality of articles of different sizes and weights and to pick batches of articles according to the respective customer orders and to prepare these articles for shipping. A further application field is the conveyance and storage of intermediate products and/or end products in printing production processes.
A relevant feature for a suspended conveyor system in this case is the simple frictionless and efficient introduction of individual items into empty transport units and the removal of the individual items from the transport units, and also an efficient transfer between different conveyor systems and a small requirement for spatial volume and floor area.
WO 2014/191162 A1 discloses a system for sorting items of luggage in a belt conveyor-based luggage transport system of an airport. The sorting system comprises a continuously circulating paternoster device with a plurality of circulating transport units, in each case consisting of a horizontal belt conveyor table. An item of luggage to be sorted is supplied onto a belt conveyor of the sorting device and transferred via a pivotable transfer belt conveyor to a transport unit which is moving past. During the transfer, the belt conveyor of the corresponding transport unit runs synchronously with the transfer belt conveyor. After the transfer has been carried out, the belt conveyor of the transport unit is stopped and the item of luggage is moved with the transport unit. The item of luggage may similarly be discharged to one of a plurality of receiving-belt conveyors, whereby sorting is carried out. In functional terms the system corresponds to a multiple diverter for belt conveyors with a plurality of possible inlets and outlets.
WO 2012/155169 A1 and WO 2013/006879 A2 disclose rack storage systems in which storage containers with a continuously circulating paternoster device comprising a plurality of circulating transport units may be introduced into the desired plane of the rack store and removed therefrom. The transport units in each case consist of a rack with three to four tines which is continuously held horizontally, the storage container bearing thereon during the conveyance. The tines of the rack are aligned parallel or perpendicular to the circulating plane of the paternoster device and form a continuously horizontal plane. In order to receive a storage container from an external belt conveyor into a transport unit, or to discharge this storage container from the transport unit to an external belt conveyor, a conveying unit is provided, said conveying unit comprising a plurality of parallel belt conveyors or a roller conveyor with parallel rollers which cooperate by meshing with the tines of the transport unit. If a loaded transport unit moves past the conveying unit, meshing from above, the storage container remains positioned on the conveying unit. This conveying unit subsequently conveys the storage container via the belt conveyor and/or roller conveyor onto an external belt conveyor. An exchange of the storage containers between the external belt conveyors and the paternoster device is only possible in the vertically extending portions of the conveying path of the paternoster device. So that a plurality of external belt conveyors may be operated, the conveying units which are not required have to be pivoted away out of the conveying path.
DE 102013104423 A1 discloses a similar device for the transfer of an individual item from a first belt conveyor or a vehicle onto a second belt conveyor located thereabove, in which three transport blades with a rack base are arranged so as to be continuously aligned horizontally on a vertical carousel. A conveying unit which cooperates by meshing with the horizontal rack base of the transport blades receives the individual item, by means of parallel narrow belt conveyors, from a transport blade pivoting past from above and conveys the individual item onto the external belt conveyor. Due to its design, the aforementioned device requires a significant spatial volume relative to the height difference which has been overcome.
The aforementioned devices require a plurality of costly driven and/or moved supply and discharge devices. A transfer of individual items is only possible on belt conveyor-based conveyor systems or conveyor vehicles.
Generally, there is a need for improvements in this field of technology.